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50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love Makes Everything Groovy in San Francisco

  • Written by Laurie Armstrong



Just like the Summer of Love did in 1967, its 50th anniversary is gaining momentum. More than 60 festivals, performances, exhibitions and activities have already been planned to celebrate the time that changed San Francisco and the world forever.

At www.summerof.love, the California Historical Society provides the detailed factual and cultural context for this seminal summer through its own exhibition and work with cultural partners.   To help visitors plan their “trip,” San Francisco Travel has launched www.summeroflove2017.com, which provides an ever-expanding guide to the whole groovy scene.

Some events this summer are unique to this golden anniversary year.  Others happen annually but will have a Summer of Love flavor, either intentionally or by virtue of the fact that they are happening in the birthplace of peace, love and rock and roll.  Here are some highlights:

Summer of Love Music

May 5-June 3, 2017                
Smuin Debuts Trey McIntyre's Summer of Love-Inspired “Be Here Now”

June 3- 4, 2017                                  
Dead & Company at Shoreline Amphitheatre

June 7-July 2, 2017                
“A Night with Janis Joplin” at American Conservatory Theatre

June 10, 2017                        
Magic Mountain Play Music Festival: “HAIR!” In Concert

June 16-18, 2017                               
50th Anniversary Monterey International Pop Festival

June 17, 2017                        
San Francisco Boys Chorus' “Summer of Song”

June 23, 2017                                    
Pier 39's 60's Dance Party

July 21, 2017                          
Flower Piano "Summer of Love" Sing-along at San Francisco Botanical Garden

July 22, 2017                          
“The San Francisco Sound” with Joan Baez

August 6, 2017                       
15th Annual Jerry Day
 

Summer of Music to Love 

May 7-Oct 29, 2017                
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

June 2-Aug. 27, 2017             
80th Annual Stern Grove Festival

June 3-4, 2017                                   
41st Annual Union Street Music Festival         

June 16-17, 2017                   
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus' “The Gay Kitchen Sink”

July 1-2, 2017                         
The 33rd Annual Fillmore Jazz Festival

Aug 11-13, 2017                     
Outside Lands Festival            

Oct. 6-8, 2017                       
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
 

Summer of Love Festivals

March 12 - Oct. 1, 2017           
2017 Summer of Love Street Celebrations with It's Your District and Sunday Streets

April 29, 2017                         
Telegraph Avenue (Berkeley) Summer of Love Street Fair

May 7, 2017                           
18th Annual How Weird Street Faire: “Summer of Weird

June 11, 2017                        
40th Anniversary Haight Ashbury Street Fair

June 24 & 25, 2017                
“The Summer of Love: An Art & Music Experience,” the 2017 Italian Street Painting Marin

June 30-July 4, 2017              
The Marin County Fair: “Let the Funshine In!
 

Summer of Festivals to Love

May 27-28, 2017                    
Carnaval San Francisco: “El Corazon de San Pancho -- The Heart of San Francisco”

June 1, 2017                          
Summer of Love NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences

June 24 & 25, 2017                
San Francisco Pride, “A Celebration of Diversity”
 

Summer of Love Exhibitions

Jan. 26, 2017-June 17, 2017  
“Jim Marshall's 1967,” at San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries at City Hall

Feb. 8-May 21, 2017              
“Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for  Utopia” at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

April 7-Sept. 27, 2017            
Lavender-Tinted Glasses: A Groovy Gay Look at the Summer of Love” at the GLBT History Museum

April 8-Aug. 20, 2017             
“The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion and Rock & Roll” at the de Young Museum

April 26-Aug. 27, 2017                       
“Summer of Love: Jimi Hendrix” at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

May 12-Sept. 10, 2017           
“On the Road to the Summer of Love” at the California Historical Society

June 23-Oct. 1, 2017              
“Flower Power” at the Asian Art Museum

June-Sept., 2017                    
“Comix from the Summer of Love” at the Cartoon Art Museum

July 15-Oct. 29, 2017             
San Francisco Public Library: 50th Anniversary of Love and Haight
 

Summer of Tours 

San Francisco has dozens of tours that cover topics as diverse as the city itself.  Several companies have always specialized in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and the Summer of Love while others have added new itineraries this year to help visitors understand and enjoy the spirit of 1967.   All of them promise a good “trip.”


The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For information on reservations, activities and more, visitwww.sftravel.com, read the Visitors Planning Guide or call 415-391-2000. 

San Francisco Travel operates Visitor Information Centers at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market St. at the corner of Powell and Market streets, and on the lower level of Macy's Union Square.  San Francisco Travel is also a partner at the California Welcome Center at PIER 39. 

American Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel Association.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 46 international cities on 39 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with 79 cities in the U.S. on 13 domestic airlines. SFO is proud to offer upgraded free Wi-Fi with no advertising. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com.  Follow SFO on www.twitter.com/flysfo and  www.facebook.com/flysfo.  

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